The one thing that i know makes a difference for me when it comes to automatic movements is the actual movment of the second hand. Rather than the "tick tick" of a quartz watch there is a very elegant and smooth movement to an automatic or hand wound watch, and i know that makes a difference to me. As for materials and style (sport vs. classic) that is up to the wearer, and also remember this, an automatic watch takes months to assemble. when you wear a watch like that you do feel like you are wearing something special, something i definitely do not feel when i go running in my timex ironman watch - even if it does keep better time...

Kai, What $100 watch has all the features you mentioned? I agree that those ironman watches really don't coordinate well with a suit. But, the watch I have, I think its dressy enough. I'd rather wear something as simple as this than one of those gaudy Rolexes.

Kai, What $100 watch has all the features you mentioned? I agree that those ironman watches really don't coordinate well with a suit. But, the watch I have, I think its dressy enough. I'd rather wear something as simple as this than one of those gaudy Rolexes.

On the recent thread about the 5 things what every man needed, almost everybody agreed about the importance of a quality watch. I'm confused about what everybody means when they say a 'good watch.' What are the features that separates a good watch from a ordinary watch? When I think of something 'good' for clothing, I think of something that will have specs that will make it last longer. For example, how a canvased suit will not bubble like a fused suit. Yet, it seems with watches, this idea is inverted. Its the more expensive watches which lose seconds every month or year. I'm just trying to understand why my Timex watch wouldn't be considered a 'good' watch, other than the fact it costs less than $30. It will be less likely to lose time. And, the style is classical and clean.

I would agree, there is nothing wrong with a Times watch and if it is quartz it will keep better time than my JLC Reverso. But it is all about soul. A hand made mechanical watch has a soul and a heartbeat. It has been carefully assembled by a highly trained watchmaker who has put some of his personality into it. It is all about what feel right for you and not what other people think. By the way does Mr Clinton not wear a Kolbold?

I would agree, there is nothing wrong with a Times watch and if it is quartz it will keep better time than my JLC Reverso. But it is all about soul. A hand made mechanical watch has a soul and a heartbeat. It has been carefully assembled by a highly trained watchmaker who has put some of his personality into it. It is all about what feel right for you and not what other people think. By the way does Mr Clinton not wear a Kolbold?

hmm, soul? really? They make a nice sound, but still... I think mechanical watches are superior to quartz watches for 2 reasons. First, they are more traditional, they stand for years and years of small improvements, and not to mention they may come with a story. Second, the fact that they cannot be 100% precise is a good thing: it sends the message that you don't really care about what the exact time really is. Why would you care? Are you in a hurry? It sends the message that you're your own boss... you don't have meetings to go to, you don't have appointments, etc. So in my opinion, a good watch is a mechanical watch that's esthetically pleasing and fits your personality. (Would you wear a Panerai if you're 130lbs?) A really good watch is a watch that comes with a story... my grand father bought it before the war, or I was passing through this little village in Austria and I met this watchmaker, or my first girlfriend's father always wanted to have a son..., etc. It took me a long time to find a good watch to fit my personality. I found it in the form of Nomos (Ludwig model). It's beautifully understated. The white dial is not really white and the hands are blue-flamed, but really hard to notice. Most people wouldn't give it a second look. Next my eyes are on a Reverso Duo, but I'm not 100% sure. --trajan

While its subjective what one consider's "good"; I believe there are a number of common "desireable" traits.

1) Swiss movement (the internals of the timepiece). This is a generalization, as German, American and Japanese movements all have followers. Regardless, choose a watch that's COSC certified ( this will limit your choices dramatically).

6) One or more "complications". Adding a date, day of week, chronometer, etc all add value to a timepiece. Some prefer a simpler design of just the hour and second hands, but most contemporary pieces have at least one complication.

If you leave a mechanical watch in a drawer for 50 years, you will still be able to put it on your wrist and expect it to keep good enough time. Watches hundreds of years old routinely get auctioned off in perfect working condition.

If you leave a quartz watch in a drawer for 10 years, the battery will most probably have leaked, completely destroying the internal mechanism. Unfortunately, even solar-powered or motion-powered quartz watches contain a battery.

That being said, I commonly use a hand-wound Patek Phillipe Calatrava in steel with a black dial and small seconds hand at 6:00 (elegant), a quartz Seiko SNA411 slide-rule chronometer with alarm (useful), and a quartz Timex Expedition watch with fabric band and analog dial (durable). Elegant, useful, and durable are three characteristics of any good watch.